Burning Man

about Victor Habchy

Each year, for a single week, thousands of free-minded people and curious persons from all over the planet build from scratch an entire town in the Black Rock Desert of northwest Nevada, approximately one hundred miles north-northeast of Reno. A white land burnt by sun and softened by sand. They create gigantic wood installations, whimsical sculptures, wear costumes and accessories borrowed from circus, childhood and dreams or just express their philosophy with nudity and free love. At the end of the week, their creations are symbolically burned. A bizarre experience of spirituality, love and art that fails to be captured by words, as if you’d like to “capture sunshine in a bottle” — as the fans of the festival are describing it.

French “nice guy” Victor Habchy is one of the photographers who probably got the most out of the surreal soul of the event. He crowdfunded his travel to the desert in 2014, just to capture the magic of the legendary festival: “Burning man is so surreal that I cannot tell if something is real or it’s my drugs. I simply packed my bag and traveled the world to attend this magnificent event. I entered the festival, in the middle of the night, exhausted and I slept for 15 hours. Until today I wonder If I was just dreaming for a week. I have never felt as much alive, as much creative and loved”.